Comments on: Do you belong in NYC? Take the test

By: Best Coach/club in the Tri-state area? - Fencing Discussion

Best Coach/club in the Tri-state area? - Fencing Discussion — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:29:09 +0000

[...] are, just not the actual best ones. Okay…. BTW, the only reason to live in NYC is if you're a"maximizer" — (I think "optimizer" is the better word) __________________ – Foodblog – Twitter – [...]

By: Woody

Woody — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:39:42 +0000

It's been five years since I moved to New York, chasing a girl and the chance of national-level media job. I was bored back home and thought, what the heck, I'm going all-in. The girl didn't work out, but after a lot of hustle, the job did. People consider it a "cool job," and it certainly has a lot perks, but as long as that job is in midtown Manhattan, I don't see a future there. Every weekday morning I have to take a deep breath before jumping in. The trains are crowded and uncomfortable and the minute you get to your 42nd St. stop, you've basically gotta start running, or else get run over. Then it's out to the street where innocent-enough tourists clog the sidewalks (our highways), emergency vehicles and huge trucks scream by, and construction scaffoldings seem to be everywhere. Then it's off to a 15-hour workday, responding to the whims of indecisive clients and bosses, while operating under the umbrella of a massive conglomerate and its shady, exploitive business practices (hmm, maybe my job isn't that "cool"). I'm a tough person, with a high tolerance for discomfort, but I constantly think, life is too short and the planet is too beautiful to live like this.

But New York can be whatever you want it to be. That romanticized vision you have of the place can be yours, and plenty of people obviously get a thrill living here. It is unlike anywhere else in the country. The catch is that you'll have to endure much of what I described above on a nearly daily basis, no matter where in the city you live or work. But if you decide to move here, and you're not feeling it after a year or two, I recommend trusting your gut and getting out before you're in too deep, because, despite everything, leaving New York is somehow one of the hardest things to do.

By: arielle

arielle — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:09:13 +0000

Lisa, I completely agree.

It may seem narcissistic or unfriendly to outsiders, that NYers are constantly repeating "You are not a New Yorker unless you were born here." But it's absolutely true. I'm even willing to expand the horizon and say that you are a New Yorker if you decide to raise kids here.

But you are NOT a New Yorker if you come here to live during your 20's and 30's. And saying so is triggering to NY natives; because we are constantly having to compete with you people for apartments, jobs, even walking space on the sidewalk, when you are not invested in our community; in the public school system; in the long-term development and family relationships that we grew up with and are attached to, whether or not we have abnormally strong ambition and drive.

And so, simply put, it is much more culturally sensitive to say "I currently live in New York", than "I am a New Yorker."

And also calling us rude is pretty rude. It's much nicer to say "what is considered polite there is different than in other part of the country."

By: arielle

arielle — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:50:34 +0000

This is so right on.

And another note on optimizing:
I actually don't think that a lot of people are natural-born optimizers in this city. I think a lot of people become addicted to the act of optimizing; to continuing to search and seek out and not be satisfied with less than exactly what they are looking for. Even as the city requires ridiculous compromises.

I think this is why a lot of born-here New Yorkers find it hard to leave…optimization addiction.=)

By: News

News — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:28:06 +0000

How do you come up with so many creative ideas? :P Anyway….great post and interesting off course… ;)

By: In Hot Pursuit « Blog for Cranial Gunk

In Hot Pursuit « Blog for Cranial Gunk — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:51:09 +0000

[...] tittering aside, news of the study reminded me of a post I read on Penelope Trunk’s blog. It asked: Do You Belong in NYC? Before considering a move to New York, Penelope asks you to [...]

By: The Empire State of Mind: Life in New York City | Vicki Boykis

The Empire State of Mind: Life in New York City | Vicki Boykis — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:20:15 +0000

[...] from the guy I used to talk to in college-more assertive, more adult. And he reflects what many say about how hard it is to live in New [...]

By: Preveda, S.

Preveda, S. — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:06:03 +0000

I love New York… Manhattan is my home, always. It is expensive, but it is nowhere near unhappy. You can be happy without being complacent. New York is where the color is, it is where the art is, the modern and the historic, the people, the food, the clothes, the drugs, the magazines and the luxury. It's where you can blend into any hue of the spectrum.

By: should i have sex on a conference room table? | TECHemistry

should i have sex on a conference room table? | TECHemistry — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:08:21 +0000

[...] with great connections in both the venture capital and startup world. Oh yeah, so I’m a perpetual optimizer: men, career, impact – almost everything that is not material. It’s very hard for me to [...]

By: 19. Questions « Behind Barz

19. Questions « Behind Barz — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:33:55 +0000

[...] you a maximizer? I [...]